Producing Asian Greens for Market

©Pam Dawling 2013Twin Oaks Community, Central Virginia

Author of Sustainable Market FarmingPublished by New Society Publishers

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Outline• Who the Asian Greens are, and why grow them• Crops I recommend• Crops that might work for you (not for us)• Crop requirements• Dealing with pests and diseases• Growing in spring• Growing outdoors in fall• Growing in the winter hoophouse• Harvesting• Minimizing nitrate accumulation in winter• Seed saving• Pak Choy. Credit Ethan Hirsh

Meet the Asian Greens!

• Huge range of attractive varieties• Quick-growing, bring fast returns• Grow when you normally grow

cabbage or kale • Short spring season, bolt when it gets

hot • Long fall season, no bolting. Success

depends on getting them germinated and planted in June and July

• Grow all winter in hoophouses in our area.

• Let’s look at the advantages.

Blues Napa Chinese cabbage shown here

Advantages• A quick way to fill out your market

booth or CSA bags• A catch crop for spaces where

other crops have failed or otherwise finished early.

• Keep a flat of seedlings ready, pop plugs into empty spaces as they occur.

• Better able to germinate in hot weather than lettuce.

• Faster growing than lettuce• Some of the faster-growing types

are ready for transplanting 2 weeks after sowing (or you can direct sow them)

Healthful Diversity!• Flavors vary from mild to peppery -

read catalog descriptions before growing lots

• Colors cover the spectrum: chartreuse, bright green, dark green and purple.

• Trial many kinds, use unwanted seed in baby salad mix!

• Nutritious as well as tasty.• High in carotenoids, vitamins A and C,

calcium, iron, magnesium and fiber. • Also contain sulphoraphanes

(antioxidants), which fight against cancer and protect eyes from macular degeneration

• Help prevent high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.

Who’s Who – Asian greens fall into three main groups

A) The turnip family, Brassica rapa, of Asian origin

1. Some crops are Brassica rapa var. pekinensis (napa cabbage, michihili, celery cabbage);

2. others are B. rapa var. chinensis (bok choy)

3. B. rapa var. japonica (mizuna).

4. B. rapa var. narinosa (tatsoi)5. B. rapa var. perviridis

(komatsuna)Different sources use different names.

B) The cabbage family, B. oleracea, of European originKai-lan, Chinese kale

Photo credit Evergreen Seeds

C) The Chinese Mustard family, B. juncea

(Ruby Streaks, Golden Frills, Red Rain)

1. Brassica rapa var. pekinensis Pe tsai, or pei tsai, two types:

a) Wong Bok• Napa cabbage is a Che-foo

type of wong bok, • Cylindrical cabbages such as

Michihili, Jade Pagoda are Chihili types of wong bok

b) Non-Wong Bok• Celery cabbage types. The

second type of pe tsai: looseleaf, fast-growing vegetables with light green leaves and white petioles. Maruba Santoh and Tokyo Bekana

1a) Napa cabbage Brassica rapa var. pekinensis.

• A type of wong bok• We like Blues (52 days from

seed to harvest) best • Kasumi has the best bolt

tolerance and is larger: 5 lb (2.3 kg) compared to 4 lb (1.8 kg)

• Orange Queen is a colorful but slower-growing variety (80 days)

• All are hardy to about 25°F (–4°C)

• Stores better than michihili types.

1a) Michihili/Cylindrical Wong Bok Chinese cabbage

also Brassica rapa var. pekinensis• Produces 16" (40-cm) tall

heads 6" (15 cm) across. • Very tender, light green leaves• Excellent for stir-fries and

pickling. • More stress tolerant and

resistant to bolting and black speck than Napa cabbage,

• Cannot be stored as long.• We like Jade Pagoda (72 days)

and the O-P Michihili (72 days) Photo credit Southern Exposure Seed

1b) Celery cabbage pe tsai Brassica rapa var. pekinensis

Photo credit Evergreen Seeds The second type of B. rapa:• a looseleaf, fast-growing

vegetable with light green leaves and white petioles.

• Can be ready for harvest in 3–4 weeks after sowing.

• More heat tolerant than Napa. Cold tolerant to 25°F (-4°C)

1b) Maruba SantohBrassica rapa var. pekinensis

• A fast-growing chartreuse (yellow-green) tender-leafed plant

• can be harvested as baby leaves• Or the leaves and wide white

stems of the mature plant provide crunch for salads

• It takes only 21 days to baby leaf, 35 days to maturity, and is fairly bolt resistant

• (This photo might actually be Tokyo Bekana!)

1b) Tokyo Bekana Brassica rapa var. pekinensis

or var. chinensis (opinions vary)

• Fast-growing tender chartreuse frilly, leafy plant.

• 21 days to baby crop, 45 days to full maturity

• Can be used for salad leaves during late-summer lettuce shortages.

• Mild flavor - many people don’t even notice they are not eating lettuce!

Young seedlings in November hoophouse shown here

2. Pak choy/bok choiBrassica rapa var. chinensis

• Previously known as Chinese mustard cabbage

• 45–55 days to maturity• We grow Prize Choy or Joy

Choi• There is also red choi (a 45-

day, red-veined baby leaf or maroon-leaved full-size version)

Pak choy• Sturdy white leaf stems,

big green leaves. Usually harvested as a head 12"–15" (30–38 cm) tall

• Can be picked as individual leaves, for bunches of mixed braising greens or stir-fry combinations

• All are hardy down to 32°F (0°C), most varieties to 25°F (-4°C)

White-stemmed Pak ChoiPhoto credit Southern Exposure Seed Exchange

(Group 2 or 1) Tokyo bekanaBrassica rapa var. chinensis or var. pekinensis (opinions vary)

Same vegetable, different opinion!Photo credit Southern Exposure Seed Exchange

3. Mizuna/kyonaBrassica rapa var. japonica

• Very easy to grow, tolerates cold wet soil

• Mild flavor• Regrows vigorously after

cutting • Ferny leaves, available in green

or purple (but Ruby Streaks is much better then Purple Mizuna!)

• Adds color and loft in salad mixes

Here we see Ruby Streaks (a mustard- more on that later) on the left, then some regular mizuna, with strap-leaved mibuna and purple mizuna mixed in.

Mizuna• Use for baby

salads after only 21 days

• or thin to 8"–12" (20–30 cm) apart, to grow to maturity in 40 days

• Fairly heat tolerant (well, warm tolerant)

• Cold tolerant to 25°F (-4°C)

4. Tatsoi/tah tsoiBrassica rapa var. narinosa

• A small plant, a flat rosette of shiny, dark green spoon-shaped leaves and green-white stems

• Mild flavor, an attractive appearance

• Kitazawa Seeds have a Red Violet tatsoi, with an upright habit

• Very cold tolerant, hardy to 10°F (–12°C)

• Easy to grow - here’s how -

Tat soi

• Direct sow and then thin into salad mixes, leaving some to mature at 10" (25 cm) across for cooking greens.

• Can transplant at 6" (15 cm)

• 21 days for baby salads; 45 days for cooking

5. KomatsunaBrassica rapa var. perviridis orBrassica rapa var. komatsuna

• Also known as mustard spinach (as Pak Choy is too!) and Summer Fest

• Green or red (purple)• Baby salad size in 21 days, full size in 35 days• Grows into a large plant 18" (45 cm) tall• Individual leaves can be picked and bunched • Or the whole plant can be harvested • The flavor is much milder than the English

name suggests - mildly peppery • Cold-tolerant to 15°F (-9.5°C), perhaps 10°F

(-12°C)

Photo credit Evergreen Seeds

Yukina SavoyBrassica rapa or juncea

• like a bigger tatsoi, • blistered dark green

leaves and stems• delicious flavor • about 12“ (30 cm) tall • Tolerant to heat and cold

– down to 10°F (-12°C)• Transplant at 12" (30 cm) • 21 days to reach baby

size, 45 days to full size

Yukina SavoyOutdoors in December, after several nights at 16-17°F (-8

to -9°C)

SenposaiOur star of Asian greens

• A cross between komatsuna and regular cabbage.

• Heat and cold tolerant (down to 12°F (-11°C)

• A big plant producing large, round, mid-green leaves which are usually harvested leaf by leaf.

• Very productive, grows fast Fall sown transplants (on the right) in the hoophouse

Senposai

• Transplant at 12"–18" (30–45 cm) spacing; it really will use all this space

• Cooks quickly (much quicker than collards)

• Delicious sweet cabbagey flavor, tender texture.

• Only 40 days to mature.

Bed of Senposai, 15” apart in the row, 3 rows in 48”

Senposai in November – the young hoophouse crop is almost ready to take over

from the well-used outdoor crop.

Ruby Streaks – another starand other B. juncea mustards: Golden Frills, Scarlet Frills, Red Rain, Wild Garden Pungent Mix

Ruby Streaks with MizunaRuby Streaks with some Red Rain (and Mibuna)

Endless VariationsOrnamental and garnish kales and cabbages add color and texture. We like Nagoya Red and White and Red Chidori Photo credit Evergreen Seeds

Every year there are new salad mix mustards, such as Johnny’s Ruby Streaks and Golden Frills. Photo credit Wild Garden Seeds

Non-stars for usMight work for you, although they didn’t suit us.

(Too small and/or too short-lived).

Hon Tsai Tai, Brassica rapa, (like a purple broccoli raab). Also known as Choy Sum. Mostly stem with small clusters of buds. In climates cooler than Zone 7 this might be productive in the fall. For spring it could be a challenge most places. It matures in only 35–40 days. Hardy to 23°F (–5°C). Photo credit Evergreen Seeds

Broccoli Raab, Brassica rapa ruvo. We had the same trouble with this as with Hon Tsai Tai

Mei Qing Choi, Brassica rapa var. chinensis. A miniature 6" (15 cm) pak choy. We don’t do well with miniature crops. These might suit your market, but we do better with larger vegetables. It matures in less than 45 days, a definite plus

Vitamin Green/Bitamin-Na/Yokatta-Na, Brassica rapa var. Narinosa. A slender, white-stemmed plant, about 12" (30 cm) tall. It can be planted 4" (10 cm) apart, or direct sown and thinned. Tolerates heat and cold. Quick-growing with good flavor, not pungent: 21 days for salad mix, 45 to its full size

More non-starsThese were too big and brutish for us.

Tyfon Holland Greens is an industrial strength plant, another hybrid of komatsuna with a heading brassica. Could be good in a survival situation, or to grow for goats. Not a gourmet green. Hardy down to 20°F (-7°C).

Tenderleaf, Brassica rapa, is another big, open-pollinated sturdy plant. Quickcooking and mild-flavored, despite appearances. Selected from a cross of Tendergreen and tatsoi. Very disease-resistant and cold tolerant down to 20°F (-7°C). Can be sown later in the fall than other greens - could be the solution for a space where your original plan didn’t work. Can be a useful salad mix crop at the baby stage. We just let ours get too big and gnarly.

Mustard greens. . .

Red Giant MustardMustards such as Red Giant and Osaka Purple, Brassica juncea, and

American Mustards (eg Southern Green Wave) are too hot for us, even at 3" (8 cm) leaves. Hardy to light frosts. Attractive colors. 21 days to baby

leaves, 40–45 days to full sizeTransplantsPhoto credit Southern Exposure Seed Exchange

Adolescent plant

Photo credit Evergreen Seeds

Other Big Greens, worth considering.

• Chinese Thick-Stem Mustard (Fedco, Brett Grohsgal of Even' Star Organic Farm, Maryland). Multiple cuttings of balanced-flavor salad mix crop to fill your CSA bags. Extremely cold tolerant.• Toraziroh, Brassica oleracea algoblabria, a robust producer of high yields of large leaves with a good, not overpowering flavor. Related to Chinese kale or Chinese broccoli. Relatively slow to bolt, ready in 45 days

Pseudo-Asian GreensPink Lettucy Mustard, Brassica rapa japonica, (Wild Garden Seeds, Fedco). Mild-flavored at all growth stages.Photo credit Wild Garden Seeds

Mizspoona, Brassica rapa, a large sturdy plant, 40 days to maturity. A sweet flavor with a good balance of mild zinginess. A gene pool (variable plants). Mizuna crossed with Tatsoi.Credit Wild Garden Seeds

American Asian-type salad brassicasWild Garden Pungent Mix, Brassica juncea, (Wild Garden Seeds, Fedco).

A cross of pungent Indian mustards for those who like Big Flavor. 40 days to harvest.Photo credits Wild Garden Seeds

Pink Petiole Mix, Brassica rapa (Wild Garden Seeds, Fedco).

Fast-growing, cold tolerant, adds a touch of color to the brassica portion of winter salad mixes. A varied mix of colors and shapes. Ready in 40 days.

Unusual GreensAbyssinian Cabbage, Brassica carinata, including Texsel Greens, is winter hardy in Zone 7. It is a non-heading, fast-growing, tasty cut-and-come-again crop. Best used in the fall - it bolts readily in spring;

Portugese Cabbage, Brassica oleracea costata, has recently become more available in the US.

Texsel GreensPhoto credit Adaptive Seeds

Asian non-brassica greensChrysanthemum greens/shungiku, Chrysanthemum coronarium. These have a very distinctive aromatic flavor, which you may or may not love.The flowers are very pretty, if you give up harvesting the plants. 21 days for baby greens, 45 days to full size.

Photo credit Evergreen Seeds

Crop requirements for Asian greensSimilar care requirements to other brassicas, Shallow rooted - Pay extra attention to providing

enough water during hot weather to prevent bitter flavors and excess pungency,

Do close monitoring of pests, which can build up large populations during the summer.

Very fertile soils grow the best Asian greens,Turn in leguminous cover crops

or compost toprovide adequate nutrition.

Sow or Transplant? We almost always transplant brassicas because we use our

growing spaces very intensively. Transplanting gives the previous crop extra time. If we have 4 weeks between the end of one crop and

transplants going in, we sow buckwheat to add organic matter and smother weeds.

We usually choose this cover crop opportunity rather than direct sow greens.

We grow a lot of brassicas and our crop rotation is always pushed and stretched by the amount of brassicas we’d like to plant – transplanting allows the soil extra weeks without brassicas.

Irrigation Shallow-rooted, need plenty of water

to grow pleasant-tasting leaves. 1” (2.5 cm) of water per week is often

enough During very hot weather, 2” (5 cm) is

better Drip irrigation saves water and

reduces disease and weed pressure. Overhead irrigation can be cheaper

and easier to set up for crops that will be harvested before much time has passed.

Overhead sprinklers can wash off aphids - could be all the control you need

Pest management

ProtekNet on hoops

A net fabric with small holes is better than rowcover in hot weather, as airflow is better and it heats less.

ProtekNet Pest Control Netting is made of clear high-density polyethylene with UV resistance and a lifespan of eight to ten years. Its light transmission is 90 percent. It is available from Purple Mountain Organics in Maryland. The 1.35 × 1.35 mm 60 gm/m2 mesh is one-sixth the length of a cucumber beetle. It also protects crops against weather damage.

Enviromesh from Agralan is another promising-sounding product to keep insect pests from crops.

Pests Harlequin bugs are our worst brassica

pests. We usually pick and kill them. If we get flea beetles, we use Spinosad, an

enzyme produced by a soil organism. Hb nematodes will also control them, as

will neem oil or the braconid wasp Microtconus vittatoe Muesebeck.

Garlic spray, Miller’s Hot Sauce, kaolin and white sticky traps have been suggested.

You can also catch them with a vacuum cleaner, or inside a bucket coated with Tanglefoot paste (hold the inverted bucket over the plant, shake it and catch the jumping beetles in the goo).

Brassica flea beetles are a different species from the ones that plague eggplant, and they can only fly a few hundred yards (meters).

ProtekNet

More Pests Aphids are worse in cooler weather (early spring), before their predators have

arrived in high enough numbers. Insecticidal soaps can be used. Caterpillars can be kept off the plants with rowcover or ProtekNet. Bt (Bacillus

thuringiensis) will kill caterpillars if rowcovers fail. Bt degrades rapidly in sunlight so is best applied early evening or early morning, whichever seems likely to catch most caterpillars. The beneficial fungus Beauvaria bassiana infects caterpillars, but can get costly. Caterpillars have many natural enemies. In our garden the paper wasps eat caterpillars, and we also have the parasite Cotesia glomerata

I used to think slugs were an endangered species in Virginia. When we put up our hoophouse, I found we were farming them! Slugs can best be caught at night with a flashlight. (Well, actually with scissors, by flashlight!)

Grasshoppers - We are trying to determine when the young hatch in July, so we know when we need to be most attentive to keeping them off our plants.

Vegetable weevil larvae have caused trouble In our hoophouse in January. They come out of the soil at night and make holes in the leaves. We have used Spinosad against them with some success.

Diseases Most of these greens are fast-turnaround crops, so if

some get sick, pull them out and move on in life. If it’s fall you can probably sow some spinach to

provide greens without antagonizing the brassicadisease gods.

Clubroot is perhaps the longest lasting disease, requiring land to be taken out of brassica production for ten years.

Other diseases include various molds and wilts. See ATTRA’s Cole Crops and Other Brassicas: Organic

Production

In SpringIn spring we sow in flats in

a greenhouse, to get an early start.

We transplant spring Asian greens at 4–5 weeks of age, about a month before our last frost date, and use rowcover for a few weeks.

Direct sowing has the advantage that thinnings can be used for salads.

In Summer (for Fall Outdoor Crops) We prefer outdoor seedbeds

for summer sowings, because it is easier to keep the plants watered.

We make an outdoor nursery bed, sow at about three or four seeds per inch (5–10 mm apart), and cover with rowcover or ProtekNet.

The seedlings emerge in as little as three days in summer temperatures.

For Fall Outdoor CropsWe start sowing our fall

Asian greens for outdoor planting around June 26 and repeat a week later for insurance (July 3), the same dates we sow fall broccoli and cabbage.

Last date for sowing these crops is about 3 months before the first fall frost date. In our case that means July 14–20.

Transplanting In summer, the faster growing types

are ready to transplant 2 weeks after sowing. Napa cabbage, Tokyo Bekana and Maruba Santoh are in this category.

Most others transplant best at 3–4 weeks of age (less time than needed in spring). We transplant outdoors from July 10 to July 31.

To minimize transplant shock, water the plants well an hour before transplanting, get them in the ground as quickly as possible and water again.

Shadecloth or rowcover will help keep the breezes (if any!) and strong sun off the plants.

Cold-Hardiness

• 32F (0C): Some Pak Choy• 25F (-4C): Chinese Napa cabbage, Maruba

Santoh, Mizuna, Tokyo Bekana, most Pak Choy• 20F (-7C): Tendergreen, Tyfon Holland Greens• 15F (-9.5C): perhaps Komatsuna• 12F (-11C): Senposai• 10F (-12C): Tatsoi, Yukina Savoy, probably

Komatsuna

Harvest Some of these greens are harvested

as whole heads; others can be harvested by the leaf and bunched or bagged.

The open rosette types, such as tatsoi or the bigger Yukina Savoy, are usually gathered closed and banded with plant ties or rubber bands.

Most can be grown for baby salad mix. With mizuna we do a “half buzz-cut,” snipping off leaves on one half of the plant an inch (25 mm) above the ground each time we come by.

• Tat soi shown here

After HarvestAfter harvest, get the

crops into shade and a cooler as soon as you can. Some of the heading types can be stored in a walk-in cooler for quite a while, almost as long as regular cabbage.

Pak Choy shown here

Season extension/overwintering Fast growing varieties can be succession

sowed for a continuous supply. Cold-hardy types can be harvested all

winter in milder climates. Senposai outdoors in late November shown here.

Or they could be kept alive to revive in spring and provide earlier harvests than spring-sown crops.

Wild Garden Seeds and Even’ Star Farm specialize in producing seed for very cold-tolerant varieties.

Rowcovers on hoops will help keep these crops in marketable condition, and improve the microclimate, for better growth rate.

Asian Greens in the HoophouseHoophouses are the place to be in winter, if you are an Asian green. Night-time protection of two layers of

plastic and an air gap – big difference! September sowings thrive on sunny days

and grow at a surprisingly fast rate. When the daylight falls below ten hours,

little growth will happen till spring. The dates depend on your latitude. Here

at 38° N, it’s November 20 to January 20. The dates are modified by the time it

takes to cool the soil and the air. In practice, the effective dates for us may

be closer to December 15–February 15. Brassicas are the most productive crops

in these conditions• Photo credit Wren Vile

Fall Hoophouse Planting - September

Direct sowings, and transplants brought in from outside in the fall, or grown inside and transplanted during the winter.

September 7: We clear and add compost to one of the beds inside to sow Tatsoi .

Sept 15 and Sept 24: We make outdoor sowings of crops to later transplant into the hoophouse at 2–4 weeks old. We cover this outside nursery bed with hoops and ProtekNet or rowcover to keep bugs off, and water it frequently. This method gives us cooler conditions for better seed germination, and gives our summer crops longer.

The Sept 15 sowing includes Pak choy, Chinese cabbage, Yukina Savoy, Tokyo Bekana and Maruba Santoh.

The Sept 24 sowing includes Senposai, more Yukina Savoy, mizuna and arugula, and resows of anything from the previous week that didn’t give a good stand of seedlings.

Fall Hoophouse Planting - October By the end of September we clear

the summer crops from at least one more hoophouse bed, and work in some compost. We transplant the Tokyo Bekana, Maruba Santoh, Pak choy and the Chinese cabbage at just 2 weeks old; Yukina Savoy at 3 weeks.

We clear and prepare more beds and transplant the Senposai, mizuna, 4-5 weeks old, in the fourth week of October.

We grow lettuce, kale, turnips, spinach and other crops too, (not this workshop!)

Mizuna Photo credit Ethan Hirsh

Hoophouse succession crops scheduleCrop Planting Dates Harvest Dates Notes

Greens filler #1 Oct 10 Replace harvested headsGreens filler #2 Oct 20

Mizuna #1 transplant Oct 24 Nov 1–Jan 25 Clear 1/26, sow radishesMizuna #2 sown Nov 9 Jan 27–March 6

Tatsoi #1 sown Sept 7 Oct 30–Dec 28 Two months of harvestsTatsoi #2 sown Nov 15 Feb 15–Feb 28 Two weeks of harvests!

Yukina Savoy #1 transplant Oct 10 Dec 30–Jan 22 Clear edge, sow lettuce mixYukina Savoy #2 sown Oct 24 until Jan 29 Only one week extra

During the Winter From Nov 10 on we aim, to keep a

fully planted hoophouse, and as each crop harvest winds down, we immediately replace that crop with another.

During December we use the “Filler” greens plants to replace casualties and heads of Chinese cabbage, Pak choy, Yukina Savoy each day as soon as we’ve harvested them.

Pak Choy replacing Yukina Savoy here At the end of January, we clear the

first mizuna, sow radishes; clear Tokyo Bekana, Yukina savoy #1 on south edge, sow lettuce mix 2/2

December to February plantings We stop filling gaps with Asian greens (and

lettuces) on Jan 25, and fill all gaps after that with spinach transplants, until 2/20. After that we only fill gaps on edges of beds, leave centers free for tomatoes, etc.

After 2/20, we harvest the winter crops from the center rows first, plant the new early summer crops down the center, then harvest the outer rows bit by bit as the new crop needs the space or the light. This overlap allows the new crops to take over gradually.

Our winter and spring crops come to an end in March or early April

“Filler” transplants. Credit Ethan Hirsh

Winter Hoophouse Harvest Schedule• Harvest starts in November, with

mizuna, arugula, tatsoi and baby brassica mix along with beet greens, spinach, lettuce leaves for salad.

• From December we also have Tokyo Bekana, Maruba Santoh, as well as baby lettuce mix, chard, kale and turnips.

• The new year starts with Yukina Savoy.• From January, the bigger greens,

including Senposai, pak choy and Chinese cabbage, feed us till mid-March, if we plant enough.

Photo credit Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. Michihili cabbage

Minimizing Nitrate Accumulation

In winter, when light levels are low, beware of high levels of nitrates in leafy greens. A health hazard — nitrates can be converted in the body into nitrites, which reduce the blood’s capacity to carry oxygen and may be further converted into carcinogenic nitrosamines.

To keep nitrate levels as low as possible:• Grow varieties best suited for winter;• Avoid fertilizing with blood meal or feather meal;• Water enough but not excessively;• Provide fresh air so that carbon dioxide levels are high enough;• Harvest after four or more hours of bright sunlight in winter;• Avoid harvesting on very overcast days;• Harvest crops a little under-mature, rather than over-mature;• Store harvested greens at temperatures close to freezing; Use crops soon after harvest;• Spinach contains about twice as much nitrate as lettuce, so mix your salads; don’t just eat spinach.

Seed saving If you plan to grow seed of more than one brassica, carefully choose ones that

won’t cross. Be aware of the possibility of brassica crops being wrongly classified. Also beware of brassica weeds. For home use: at least 600 feet (200 m) isolation from other flowering brassicas. For commercial seed: ¼ mile (400 m) with barriers or ½ mile (800 m) without. Grow at least 120-300 plants in fall, pull out any atypical plants and leave the best

over the winter. In the spring, let them bolt. Why so many? Brassicas are outbreeding plants and, as such, are in danger of

inbreeding depression (not enough genetic diversity), if too few plants are grown. Save seed from at least 60 to 75 plants, and preferably 125 to 150. As the seedpods dry, pull up the plants, and if your weather is damp hang them

up to finish drying under cover. If you have high humidity, use a fan. Hanging plants inside paper sacks will reduce loss of seeds when the pods start to shatter.

You can stomp on the bags to shatter the pods, and then winnow and screen the seeds. See the Saving Our Seed Project guide listed in the Resources section.

Resources• Grow Your Own Chinese Vegetables, Geri Harrington, 1984, Garden Way Publishing.

Includes the names for these crops in different cultures.• Growing Unusual Vegetables, Simon Hickmott, 2006, Eco-Logic books, UK.• Oriental Vegetables: The Complete Guide for the Garden

and Kitchen, Joy Larkham, revised edition 2008, Kodansha, USA• Kitazawa and Evergreen Seeds have the most choices. • Evergreen’s helpful clickable list. http://www.evergreenseeds.com/asveglis.html• Fedco Seeds and Johnny’s also have a good range.• Wild Garden Seed has many interesting home-bred varieties. Search under Mustard. http

://www.wildgardenseed.com• Even’ Star Farm Ice-bred Seeds http

://www.localharvest.org/even-star-organic-farm-M9994• Good Earth Seed Company (Tsang and Ma International)

P.O. Box 5644, Redwood City, California 94063. No English website.• ATTRA Cole Crops and Other Brassicas: Organic Production

https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/summaries/summary.php?pub=27• Saving Our Seed Project http://

www.carolinafarmstewards.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/BrassicaSeedProductionver1_1.pdf an excellent 24-page guide on organic brassica seed production

Producing Asian Greens for Market

©Pam Dawling 2013Twin Oaks Community, Central Virginia

Author of Sustainable Market FarmingPublished by New Society Publishers

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